Filed under: Culture, Portable, Nintendo Wii, Mobile

ThinkGeek is certainly on a roll today with the April Fools hijinks. Not only do we have Super Pii Pii Brothers (and its bizarre peripheral), but now we have Wii Sports on the iPhone, as well as a conduit for shuffling between dead video formats.

The Wii Sports on iPhone gag is nothing more than an unclickable banner ad, making us wish the joke was taken a bit further. The Betamax to HD-DVD converter, on the other hand, is quite the stroke of genius. The idea alone is brilliant, made even more so by the “promotional” video, viewable after the break.

Continue reading April Fools’ Alert #10: Wii Sports on iPhone and utter obsolescence

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

---

SPONSORED BY: Age of Empires III - Real-Time Strategy Game Control a European power on a quest to colonize and conquer the New World. AOE3 introduces new gameplay elements, as well as new civilizations, units, and technologies. http://www.ageofempires3.com/

Popularity: 1% [?]

Share This

Filed under: Nintendo DS, Portable, Action

A French retail site has listed Grand Theft Auto IV for Nintendo DS on a sheet of upcoming releases. Tucked inconspicuously in between titles like Kung Fu Panda and Harvest Moon, it’s most likely that the listing of the game for DS is a slip-up, and not indicative of any “OMG”-worthy news. The possibility for a slip-up seems even more likely when Guitar Hero: On Tour is erroneously labeled as Guitar Hero 3 on the same list.

What stands out as a bit odd, however, is the listed release date of June 15, 2008, a far cry from the international release date of April 29 for the actually-real console version. It’s enough to give us pause, but not enough to keep us from breaking out the skeptical sauce. As awesome as a classic, top-down GTA on DS would be, we’ve got a feeling that it’s just not in the cards.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

---

SPONSORED BY: Age of Empires III - Real-Time Strategy Game Control a European power on a quest to colonize and conquer the New World. AOE3 introduces new gameplay elements, as well as new civilizations, units, and technologies. http://www.ageofempires3.com/

Popularity: 2% [?]

Share This

Filed under: Culture, Nintendo DS, Portable, Retro, Action, RPGs, Casual, Galleries

Capcom has announced that Mega Man Star Force 2 will be out for the DS in June for $30. This action-RPG follow-up to last year’s game follows in its Pokemon-like style, releasing in two different editions: Zerker X Saurian and Zerker X Ninja. (Huh. Where’s the love for Ninja X Saurian?)

The local- and WiFi-network-able game relies on collecting new characters and collaborating with friends. With the right connections, players assemble a “portfolio of Battle Cards with distinct attributes,” according to a Capcom fact sheet. We’ve been trying to get the kids — and our closeted adult gamer friends — off Pokemon for years. Maybe this is a step in the right direction?
%Gallery-18250%

Permalink | Email this | Comments

---

SPONSORED BY: Age of Empires III - Real-Time Strategy Game Control a European power on a quest to colonize and conquer the New World. AOE3 introduces new gameplay elements, as well as new civilizations, units, and technologies. http://www.ageofempires3.com/

Popularity: 1% [?]

Share This

Filed under: Portable, Sony PSP, Mobile

Another patent has emerged for the elusive “PSP Phone,” this time featuring an iPhone-esque touchscreen design, rather than the ugly swivel-screen look. The patent, filed by Sony Ericsson, uses a combination of the touch-screen, accelerometer and haptics to alter the display and buttons for different modes, as well as offer sensory feedback for button presses.

Sure, that all sounds fancy in theory, but we’ll hold off on further analysis until Sony’s ready to show this puppy off (or at least admit that the darn thing is in development).

[Via PSP Fanboy]

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

---

SPONSORED BY: Age of Empires III - Real-Time Strategy Game Control a European power on a quest to colonize and conquer the New World. AOE3 introduces new gameplay elements, as well as new civilizations, units, and technologies. http://www.ageofempires3.com/

Popularity: 1% [?]

Share This

Filed under: Culture, Portable, Retro

A papercraft version of level 1-1 from Super Mario Bros. recreated inside an actual Game Boy brick (no worries it was already broken). We can’t help but point out in Camera Wences’ design, however, that the Game Boy was never in color and never has this version of Mario Bros. Oh well, we should’ve just called it a clever hack and made a Paper Mario joke. (Via Make) Check out the highlights for today:

Joystiquery
The best of WoW Insider: February 27-March 4, 2008
Counting Rupees: Royalty Screwed
Massively Week in Review: Feb 26 - Mar 3, 2008
Nega-review: God of War: Chains of Olympus
10 reasons the PlayStation 3 is relevant again
Today’s most perspective-bending trailer: echochrome in real life

News
Japanese PSP brandishes bronze bundle, cradle
Plato to school kids with new learning games for PSP
Okami Wii-treats to April 15
Umbrella Chronicles ships a million units worldwide
Ubisoft details Assassin’s Creed PC enhancements
Wii gets TV guide channel, Wiimote becomes universal in Japan
SCEA’s Hight: PlayStation Store overhaul, Warhawk expansion coming in April
GameTap tells the tale of Grimm’s gameplay
Infogrames attracted Harrison with giant magnet
School shooting “hero” confesses to Xbox theft
D&D creator Gary Gygax dead at 69
Virtual Jihadi mod causing tension at New York school
Ready at Dawn ready to move away from PSP
Skype finally comes to Japanese PSPs this month
Paramount ‘very, very, excited’ about games space

Rumors & Speculation
Rumor: Crysis shown on Xbox 360 to ‘prospective publishers’ at GDC

Culture & Community
Majority of women, men swap gender in MMOs
Return of Bully means more controversy
Hacker makes mini-sized Rock Band drums
Dreamcast demo stand now sitting on eBay
Which publisher gets the best review scores?

Permalink | Email this | Comments

---

SPONSORED BY: Age of Empires III - Real-Time Strategy Game Control a European power on a quest to colonize and conquer the New World. AOE3 introduces new gameplay elements, as well as new civilizations, units, and technologies. http://www.ageofempires3.com/

Popularity: 1% [?]

Share This

Filed under: Portable, GDC

Microsoft’s Chris Satchell just announced that XNA Game Studios games can also be made for Zune. He showed off a brief demo of Zauri - a topdown shooter. XNA Zune games can also support custom soundtracks (this is an MP3 player after all). Satchell promises that you’ll be able to take games from Windows, to Xbox, to Zune. No word on the availability of this functionality on Zunes; more as we know it.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

---

SPONSORED BY: Age of Empires III - Real-Time Strategy Game Control a European power on a quest to colonize and conquer the New World. AOE3 introduces new gameplay elements, as well as new civilizations, units, and technologies. http://www.ageofempires3.com/

Popularity: 1% [?]

Share This

Filed under: Portable, Puzzle, GDC

In what is destined to become the most interesting metaphor used at GDC this year, iQ212 founder Rick Marazzani noted that Tetris is “the Slim Jim of video games.” The proclamation came during a lecture entitled “Tetris: Best/Worst Mobile Game Ever,” in which Marazzani analyzed the success of Tetris on mobile platforms. Slim Jims — much like Tetris – are “brandable,” descriptive, and easy to consume, all of which are very important factors for mobile games meat snacks to succeed. Marazzani contends, however, that Tetris would not succeed if it had been invented in today’s market. The primary reason for this is that Tetris isn’t winnable, which is apparently a requirement for mobile users. To the best of our knowledge, Slim Jim’s aren’t winnable either, so the metaphor stands the test.

Most of it makes some amount of (meat-related) sense, but we’d take exception to the idea that a game must have a win condition to be successful (several lecture attendees pointed out games like Bejeweled and Lumines, for example).

View Poll

Permalink | Email this | Comments

---

SPONSORED BY: Age of Empires III - Real-Time Strategy Game Control a European power on a quest to colonize and conquer the New World. AOE3 introduces new gameplay elements, as well as new civilizations, units, and technologies. http://www.ageofempires3.com/

Popularity: 1% [?]

Share This

Filed under: Portable, Mobile

It used to be that just getting a high score was the be all and end all of game accomplishments. More recently, amassing Achievement points became the all-consuming passion of gamers. Now even that seems passé as a new Japanese cell phone game rewards played with real, raw fish delivered right to their door.

Ippon Zuri (”pole-and-line fishing” in English) lets DoCoMo users in Japan’s Fukuoka area set bait, cast their lines and wait for the virtual fish to bite. When they do, a slot machine game appears and, if all three numbers match up, the fish is caught and, as Pink Tentacle describes it, “a message is then relayed to the wholesaler, who picks up the real-world equivalent from the local seafood market and delivers it, whole and raw, to the player’s doorstep.” Kind of reminds us of Activision’s Atari 2600 badge program, except updated for the new millennium … and with raw fish!

We think this is a great idea, and can’t wait for the concept to be applied across the gaming world. Win a real trophy for success at virtual sports games! Win real cash for success at virtual game shows! Win a real disembodied skull for success at a first-person shooter! Er … scratch that last one.

[Via BB Gadgets]

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

---

SPONSORED BY: Age of Empires III - Real-Time Strategy Game Control a European power on a quest to colonize and conquer the New World. AOE3 introduces new gameplay elements, as well as new civilizations, units, and technologies. http://www.ageofempires3.com/

Popularity: 1% [?]

Share This

Filed under: Portable, Microsoft Xbox 360, Business

A recent Ziff-Davis survey - distributed amongst subscribers to their 1UP, EGM, and Games for Windows Magazine brands - asked “If Microsoft came out with a portable gaming device (similar to PSP, Nintendo DS/Lite, etc.), how likely are you to purchase the device?” Answers are comprised of the typical survey stuff, Very Likely to Not at All Likely with a Don’t Know thrown in for the more indecisive gamers out there.

While rumblings concerning the long-rumored Xboy have been plenty scarce of late, Shane Kim did address it during a Q&A at the D.I.C.E. seminar held earlier this month. As reported by Gamasutra, he said, “Never say never … Launching a portable device is like launching a Zune, launching another Xbox 360… we have a ways to go [to compete effectively in the music space]… Zune is not just about the device, it’s about the service as well.”

Considering that he sure didn’t seem eager to say “enn oh” the idea that Redmond is soliciting consumer interest in such a device is far from surprising. However, if they’re still at the whole “Does anyone want this thing?” phase, it would be quite some time before any of us got our mitts on an honest-ta-gawd Xboy.

View Poll

[Thanks, Matt & Jonas]

Permalink | Email this | Comments

---

SPONSORED BY: Age of Empires III - Real-Time Strategy Game Control a European power on a quest to colonize and conquer the New World. AOE3 introduces new gameplay elements, as well as new civilizations, units, and technologies. http://www.ageofempires3.com/

Popularity: 1% [?]

Share This

Filed under: Portable, Action, Online, Simulations, Mobile, Casual, Galleries

Update: EA let us know that only the DS game will be called “Spore Creatures.” The mobile version keeps the simple “Spore” handle.

Spore Creatures for mobile phones is launching with the rest of the Spores on September 7. I figured that this Spore had no chance of infecting me. But after recently playing, I was impressed and surprised by its quality. The graphics — and even its concept — would be at home on a DS or Game Boy.

Like Spore on the DS, the mobile version of the game doesn’t even try include everything from the PC version. Spore for phones centers on the Cell Phase of the game. You use the phone’s joystick to steer the creature through a slurry of suspended protein and other early life forms, eating objects and avoiding enemies.

But like the other versions of Spore, you’ll regularly use a creature editor to upgrade the character. While the body part choices are also scaled down, there’s enough variety to make the creature your own. Certain parts, like a dangling lure, affect how other organisms behave. That lure attracts food to you, for example. Or you could add a shell for personal defense; hit a button, and hide inside for temporary invulnerability.
%Gallery-15904%

Continue reading Joystiq Impressions: Spore (Mobile)

Permalink | Email this | Comments

---

SPONSORED BY: Age of Empires III - Real-Time Strategy Game Control a European power on a quest to colonize and conquer the New World. AOE3 introduces new gameplay elements, as well as new civilizations, units, and technologies. http://www.ageofempires3.com/

Popularity: 1% [?]

Share This